S.L. Council hopefuls making their case

As Tuesday's primary election looms, six hopefuls are making their case to survive the first cuts in a fight to fill outgoing Salt Lake City Councilman Eric Jergensen's District 3 seat.

Without a mayoral race in this year's election, the Avenues and Capitol Hill areas have been the site of what many believe should be the most interesting of the capital city's two primary races.

And each in the crowd of candidates has been knocking on doors and rallying voters for a chance to be one of the two names left on the November ballot.

Edward Aho, who owns Aho Apparatus Service, has his sights set on lowering property taxes in Salt Lake City. Aho said he has grown tired of the city's bonding efforts and what he called "rubber-stamp" council members.

"Every day, we're getting layered with more and more taxes for these bond issues," he said. "I think somebody has got to come up with some common sense. We don't want to end up like Los Angeles."

Aho also said the "infrastructure is crumbling" in District 3 and vowed to improve the condition of district's roads and sidewalks.

Democratic activist Lisa Allcott has helped organize a number of successful political campaigns, including that of Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon.

Now, Allcott is hoping to manufacture a victory of her own.

"I have a lot of passion," she said. "That's part of who I am."

Allcott hopes to help in the creation of a downtown arts and cultural district. The acquisition and protection of open space are also among her priorities.

Allcott supports the city's anti-discrimination ordinance.

The candidate also said she would create an ombudsman position within the city to help small-business owners navigate the complex and bureaucratic process.

Phil Carroll, president of the nonprofit Community Housing Services, said he is a candidate who would "work hard to make sure they (city officials) are respecting everybody. We get branded as this or that, but we're such an eclectic neighborhood."

Carroll's platform calls for developing consistent land-use policies that protect property rights while maintaining a neighborhood's character, improving streets and sidewalks in District 3 and ensuring public safety.

Carroll also said he sees a growing problem with rental homes.